Jannik Sinner overtakes Andy Murray after achieving unique milestone despite suffering three-month ban

Italy’s Jannik Sinner achieved a unique milestone despite not playing tennis currently. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as the best player currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, is currently serving a three-month ban from professional tennis after reaching an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Sinner tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in two doping tests in March last year but miraculously managed to escape any ban. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) declared him innocent following a detailed hearing where his counsel claimed that the substance was available in the player’s sample because one member of the coaching staff had received a cream for the treatment of an injury.

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Things turned ugly for the world number one in October last year when it was announced that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the ITIA’s verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanded a two-year ban for the three-time Grand Slam winner. However, the issue finally came to a conclusion in February when WADA announced that they had reached an agreement with Sinner, which would result in the player remaining out of action for three months.

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Despite not playing tennis for nearly two months, Sinner has managed to stay on the top of the ATP rankings. He has been the world number one for 42 weeks, which would see him pass Britian’s Andy Murray, who was world number one for 41 weeks. With the series of results from his closest rivals in the rankings, the Italian tennis star is looking set to stay on top of the ATP rankings by the time he returns to the court in May later this year. Sinner’s last appearance was at the Australian Open, where he lifted the title for the second time running after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

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